In the words of Hank Hill, “I’ve got 99 problems but propane ain’t one,” and when it comes to RVing, you want to be a Hank. Propane runs your vehicle’s furnace, stove, heats water for showers and cleaning, and even keeps your refrigerator cold when there is no electrical hook up available. Needless to say it is an absolute essential for those who camp off the grid.
But like other elements of RV camping, such as tank dumping and water top offs, filling your propane cylinders can be a burden when you’re not sure how to find the closest provider, so let’s talk about the easiest ways to find sources. But before you we do that you have to understand that some campers (usually fifth wheel tows) will have detachable cylinders that can be taken separate from the RV to be filled or exchanged, while other units (Type A motorhomes for example), will have built in tanks that require driving your camper to a fill station.
Once you know the type of fill you need, you can start the process of looking for the closest (and cheapest) sources for filling your tank(s). A little initial research can save you time driving and money, so a basic start would be to do a Google search for nearby propane retailers. But a better approach would be to use one of the many available apps that will get you to the closest dealer:
- AllStays Camping & RV (App Store)
- RV Parks & Campgrounds (Google Play)
- Gas Buddy (App and Google)
- RV Parky (App and Google)
- Caramaps (App and Google)
- Alternative Fuel Station Locator (App and Google)
For situations where you don’t have access to technology, you might begin your search by looking for:
- Campgrounds and RV parks often have propane filling stations available;
- Some farm and tractor supply companies, such as Murdochs, have propane facilities;
- Storage facilities and moving companies, such as Uhaul, will occasionally offer propane filling;
- Propane supply companies may offer propane fills;
- Some wholesale stores, such as Costco and Sams, offer propane fills;
- Truck stops and Travel Centers may offer propane;
- An occasional welding shop will offer fill facilities.
You can additionally find propane near you easily by purchasing a GPS system for your RV that has a propane site feature or by using searchable websites, such as propane.com or LPGStations.com.
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Ivan Young is a writer from Happy Writers, Co. in partnership with steel piping distributors Fed Steel.
